Category Archives: Travel

As an itinerant minister, obviously I’m ‘at the mercy’ of churches who might want to invite me to visit them to preach, and – for me – pray for people to be healed through the miraculous intervention of the Holy Spirit’s power. Those of you who know me know that God very definitely put my heart in the world when He called me to this life nearly 40 years ago. I have countless opportunities to preach in other countries, from South America to Australia, and into Asia – especially to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and so on: and I DO get to preach in the UK, but it’s rare. I’ve never been one to ‘put my name about’ and try to get to big conferences etc., which get you invitations to churches, because right back at the start God told me not to. I’ve never sought ‘fame’ (and believe me, there are plenty in ministry who do: and many who seem to be in ‘competition’ and unafraid to put ‘down’ another minister in order to get an invitation). Some of you will remember a blog I wrote a couple of years ago about dear friend, now with Jesus, Ken McGreavy, a wonderful preacher who relatively few had heard of, as when God called him, he said ‘Ken, do you want prominence, or do you want significance?’ Ken wanted significance: I’d be the same. It was years before I finally ‘caved in’ and started this website/blog, simply because I don’t want to ‘advertise’: it’s why I just don’t feel comfortable with writing books (I’ve had one on my computer, finished, edited, and with a publishing deal for 20 years!) – there’s a plethora of books, many on same or similar subjects, saying the same or similar things.

I love preaching in the UK: in the past few years, God’s healed hundreds and hundreds of people, in all four home countries: I’d love there to be more. It seems a case of not what you do, or what God does through you, but who you know: and (I don’t mean this cynically) if you charge a fee, you ‘must’ be good. God told me in 1979 I was never to ask for money for ministry invitations, but to trust him. That does put pressure on you, and – I wonder – does it make people think you can’t have much of a ministry if you don’t charge? Jesus had definite thoughts about it in Matthew 10: 7-8 – ‘freely you have received, freely give’.

A couple of years ago, I posted something on Facebook, which I feel I should post here now (many who read the blog never go near Facebook!): this is it:

I’ve never had the liberty from God to REALLY promote what I do, how I live, charge preaching fees, and even charge expenses.Back in 1978, when God called me out of banking and into ministry, He said very clearly, ‘Trust me for your home, security, and income. You’re never to charge for what you do’. There are some days – periods – ‘seasons’ – when that is easier said than done!

It makes you open to be being from outrageously blessed to unbelievably disappointed! But Jesus said in Matthew 10, ‘Freely you have received, freely give’ – so who am I to argue with that?

I’ve been under pressure to produce books – books about healing (I’m still learning, but I suppose I have some things I can offer), books of testimonies of miracles and healings, books on faith for ordinary people (!), books of making mission and ministry accessible to ordinary people – stuff like that.

I DO have a book written, it’s been there for some years: it does have a publisher waiting, and it was edited was long-time friend Adrian Plass, so it has a reasonable chance of success (if Ade’s name is in big letters on the front, and mine’s very small!!). BUT – I would never sell any, I just can’t….

The purpose of this little post is to say that I LOVE preaching in the United Kingdom and Europe: and have an increasing desire to see the power of God ‘cut loose’ for normal people in their everyday lives: to let people know that they CAN do what Jesus did: but though my main passion is still third and developing world nations, I love to bring back to the UK and Europe what I see God doing in South America, Africa, India, and elsewhere. The very recent reports on what has happened – and is happening – in Londonderry in the past 6 weeks, are proof of that!

Overseas, I’ve always found that opportunities have come – for 30 years – by relationships and connections. I do, of course, have those in the UK and Europe, too, but perhaps because I don’t ‘try’ and get into conferences, or advertise, getting invitations seems to happen more when you’ve written books, and ‘plug’ them at every opportunity….

I’d love to preach more, pray for more people, release more people into ministry, across our countries, and across the continent of Europe. So, while not overtly advertising, if you ever want a Sunday meeting, a weekend, healing seminars, or just encouragement, let me know!

I don’t charge a fee (!) but if you could take up an offering, or want to give a gift from your church/group, I doubt that I’d turn it down! It is my income – salary – if you think about it. Travelling is expensive, whether in the air or on wheels (it can be around £300+ to fly from Belfast City to Heathrow return), but I can’t ‘charge’ cos, 40 years ago, God told me not to,….

If you have meetings you think I might ‘fit’, do let me know.

As those airfares have risen and risen, it’s of necessity started a thought process about moving: when I came to Northern Ireland in 2009, there was a lovely airline – British Midland – who flew Belfast City to Heathrow for about £60-70 round trip. Sadly, they succumbed to the credit crash and the pressure of British Airways (who wanted their landing slots at Heathrow), and British Midland ‘died’. I’ve just booked to go to Colombia (this coming Sunday): London to Cali round trip £770….. Belfast City to Heathrow ONE-WAY £330 (55-minute flight)!! Until these recent weeks, as I haven’t been able to walk since the hospital consultant wrecked my right knee, that fare is frequently twice a month, occasionally more!

So – while I love being involved around the world, I’d love to be more involved in the UK – and Scandinavia, which I adore! – and if God ever drops my name into your mind when planning your programme, then please get in touch! I’ve done lots of seminars, too, some on ‘one-off’ days, and some spread over a number of days – on Healing, and on Vision.

Lots of people tell me they’d love to do what I do: I understand why, because I love it. I went from only visiting Jersey by the time I was 17, and then camping in France and Germany in my twenties. I didn’t like foreign food, was horrified at the thought of eating some of the ‘smells’ from the foreign takeaway food shops – they’d never have passed my lips (as opposed to fish and chips!). I remember walking down Seaside, a street that runs parallel to Eastbourne seafront, and in the 70s was takeaway city! I worked there, and would often hold my nose as I went back to work at lunchtime, especially as I went past the Indian takeaways. I LOVE Indian food now, and pretty hot, too. And from never wanting to travel, God’s taken me to 111 countries, and many of them multiple times. I’m off to Colombia for the 97th time on Sunday!

I occasionally have a day when I want to chill out – and often end up making myself so mad, if sort of defeats the purpose! I’ve been travelling, as an itinerant missionary for just under 40 years, and I LOVE what I do, I have fallen ‘in love’ with just about country I’ve been to. Anyone who travels knows the joys, delights – and the horrors of immigration, sometimes worse than others.

It’s interesting – and this takes me back to the first sentence what makes me mad! – that in the last 10 years, there’s become a television ‘obsession’ with immigration and customs programmes. On any given day, you’ll find programmes about immigrating into Australia, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, The U.K, Canada, and others I’ve missed out. I wonder why? From a frequent traveller’s point of view, I think it’s because the frequent ‘aggression’ and unpleasantness of many of the countries makes good ‘reality’ TV viewing.

Some of you – maybe lots, but there are a lot of new readers of the blog in recent years – will remember an absolutely horrendous situation I found myself in 9 years ago today with such unpleasant, aggressive, arrogant, ‘I’ve a got a uniform and gun’ immigration officers. It was through no fault of my own (tragically it was the problems some church leaders had with money, leaders who wanted to employ me)… I was over the moon as I flew into Philadelphia airport about 5 p.m. though pretty soon I could also see the hand of the enemy in it, trying to ‘set me up’. I’d been upgraded to business class, free, at Heathrow, so I was a happy bunny, and first off the plane: first into Philly immigration hall, plastered everywhere with posters stating ‘We are the face of America’. I really think Homeland Security should consider taking them down, as if most US immigration officers ARE the face of America, my advice is don’t visit America! Then, my temporary place of abode was the USA, so everything I had was in the house. All I had was used boxer shorts, clothes, and very little else! I’ve not been back to the USA since going on the ministry trip (England, Romania, Sweden) that I never returned home from. It’s a dreadful feeling, totally disorientating, and to be taken to the place by two armed immigration officers was awful, humiliating, and I’d done nothing wrong!

Philadelphia Airport

At the first desk, the officer retained my passport, which is disturbing and scary, and then I was ‘handed over’ to a bull-necked ‘gun and uniform’ officer, who was horrendously aggressive, rude, demeaning, – hostile would sum him up well!

There’s often a thought that with people like traffic wardens, traffic cops on speeding duty, are set daily targets for issuing tickets. I felt that evening in Philadelphia, that US immigration officers have targets for the number of people they ‘pull in’ and return to the country they came from. You’re not allowed to speak unless spoken to, can’t use a phone…. the interrogation was equally hostile – except that after about an hour of hostility, there was a change in the officer’s attitude. He told me that he thought they’d ‘over-reacted’ and got it wrong, and needed to talk to his boss. She was infinitely more hostile and ‘chip on the shoulder with a gun’ than my guy had been: she also made me feel very slim!! She flatly refused to reverse the decision – which is where I felt that they had a target! – and 5 hours after landing, I was back on the same plane, dirty clothes and all, on my way back to England! The ‘fight’ with United States customs and immigration took 5 years, and cost round $250,000!!

The difference between the Australian immigration, and the USA, and the Republic of Ireland are like chalk and cheese. The Aussies are – on TV, anyway, and I’ve been there about 15 times, so real life, too! – friendly, chatty, personable (though you can tell from questions that they’re acquiring lots of information!), same with New Zealand. Interestingly, there’s a guy in Dublin (better not mention his name, like with the American one!), who ‘provokes’ the incoming passengers, a real control freak who likes to tell passengers what he thinks they should do!

It’s all so very different now to when I began 40 years ago, and very different to 10 years ago. In the USA, you’re not allowed to crack jokes, or be facetious, or sarcastic – you’ll be arrested! So if you’re going to travel a lot, it’s worth chatting to someone who’s been where you’re going! So yes, travelling is great – IF you’re called to it. There is stress, there are battles, but as long as you know God’s called you – and it’s not just you wanting to do it! – you get past the battles, and the stress diminishes.

A word of explanation about the absence of blogs for some weeks! – It’s not that I’ve been lazy, but there’s an incredibly valid reason I’d really appreciate your prayers for.

You doubtless know (unless you’ve been in hibernation for 15 years!) that I’ve got bad knees. Osteoarthritis to be precise, which began when I fell over, 19 years ago, while running to cross a very wide road, on a red traffic light in Cali, Colombia, with a taxi coming at me at about 100 kmh! My right knee ‘popped’ – I did think ‘oh-oh’ as I wanted to scream with the pain, and then in true ‘male’ style, thought ‘I can walk that off’….. I didn’t walk it off, put more pressure on my left leg, that one became extremely painful too, and the rest is history!

I’m under the main orthopaedic hospital in Belfast, and about every 2 years, I’m summoned to see a Consultant, who as always, looks at the x-rays and says ‘Your knees are in a mess!’ (I don’t really need telling!), come back in 2 years…. I got my summons for 18 January this year (I don’t know if there’s any significance in the fact the 18th January is an anniversary day for me – this year the 18th was the 49th year since my last ever salary payment from the bank I used to work for: I’ve not ‘earned’ since that year God called me into full-time ministry).

Most of you who read here regularly know, too, that God has been teaching me to rest, which I’m still trying to learn. There were things in my diary – Colombia, Romania (twice), France (at that time), plus churches in Northern Ireland, England, and Wales.

Walking wasn’t easy because of pain, but I got around ok, even if slower than I’d prefer, people who travel with me, and go places with me, will tell you that walking wasn’t a major issue – apart from stairs! I saw the Ortho consultant on 18th Jan, but it wasn’t the ‘usual’ one, who’s been very nice, and has, when I’ve needed it, ‘upped’ the pain medication. This time it was a different man: also nice, but not one that filled you with confidence….

Having looked at the x-rays, and telling me I must be in a lot of pain, he then did something unreal… he took hold of my right foot (right knee is the worst one) on the palm of his hand, and his left-hand flat against the side of my right knee…. then he pulled my foot towards him and pushed my knee away from him. I didn’t scream but stifled my reaction. I told him if he planned to do that to my left leg, then he wouldn’t mind if I broke his nose, would he? The knee isn’t designed to go where he pushed it. For 4 days I couldn’t walk at all, I had to go to the kitchen (about 20 feet from my armchair) like a snake, on my stomach. Four months since then, I’ve been out of my house less than 20 times, and getting u and downstairs in this house is virtually impossible.

So there have been no blogs as I haven’t (not by choice!) done a great deal – I’m going to Colombia this coming Sunday, which will be an interesting exercise! I’m seeing my GP to talk about reporting the case to the local Health Trust, and also a Medical lawyer, as it’s evident that the doctor has wrecked my knee…..

….unless God heals my knees in Cali! I’m still believing that he can….!!

After Colombia, I’m going to try and keep up and running – Romania, Colombia with Thanney and others to start building another kids house, and in the rest of the year, other than UK bookings, France, Colombia (twice more), Australia, Romania again….

I’d really appreciate your prayers, if you feel you can fast for a day for the healing of these knees, I’d be delighted. I have no plans to stop doing what I’m doing: not unless God mkes it very clear! Bless you!!

Can anyone help, please? A friend in Romania is desperately trying to raise the money to pay for his son’s funeral. George was in a car crash (not his fault) 2 weeks ago, his back was broken, his spine was severed, and suffered brain damage. He was taken to Berlin for surgery, but tragically died, aged 27, on Thursday just passed. My friend had spent all his money on his treatment and constant trips to Berlin.

In Romania (George was back in Cluj, his home in Romania), hospitals will only keep a body 2 days: if you cant afford the funeral, the body is just thrown into a hospital fire. It happened to the mum of a friend a few weeks ago. The funeral cost is €5000: so far we’ve raised 2900 euros, 2100 needed by Tuesday. Can you help save this tragic end to George’s life: such a disgraceful way to treat a human being, and as you can imagine, the family are distraught.

Although Romania has been in the European Union since 2007, and full members of it since 2012, there are many things that are still way behind many of the other 27 countries. Part of the problem is corruption, but historically, poverty – under Communism and Ceaucescu – was so destructive. I’ve been going to Romania since just after it gained independence from its Communist, and much worse, Ceaucescu heritage – their revolution began on December 16, 1989, and ended with the ‘execution’ of Nicolae and Elena on Christmas Day that year. I was there with a team from the church I was then part of, with 6 trucks full of aid, on 4 February 1990. The poverty to us was simply unreal for a European country, only 1400 miles away from us in the UK. One of the problems for families was that they had very sick children because they couldn’t afford to take their kids to the doctor or the dentist. I couldn’t even begin to tell you the number of really sick kids (NOT orphanage kids – normal family kids) I knew, and, in many cases, still know. Everything medical is so expensive, even worse since their advent into the EU, as what had been priced in their currency (the Leu, or Lei) was recalculated to euro prices, even though they kept the lei (more to do with the EU than a Romanian decision, I think).

Some of you will remember a young lady in Romania, Ionela: she’s had the most unbelievable couple of years with extremely serious sickness – she was only 24 years old in November (I’ve known the family since 1991 in my early days in Romania, so I knew them before Ionela was born in 1993). Not only has she had constant illness, (she knows what’s going on, as she’s a genius, and is a trainee doctor, in her 5th year, but has had to give up because she’s been so ill, though I pray she’ll be able to go back to do her last year), but last autumn, her dad died with liver failure, and last Tuesday, her mum dropped dead having only shown signs of illness on Monday). Tragically, Ionela was unable to pay for the funeral (they’re ridiculously expensive, too, a real opportunity for the Orthodox Priests to line their pockets. So mum just – literally – was put in the fire at the hospital. Ionela couldn’t even afford to get to see her, as she lives (through study) in Bucharest, and her family home is in Moldova, 500 kms (each way) from Bucharest. Both parents were in their early 50’s when they died.

In less than 2 years, Ionela’s had breast cancer (a large tumour removed by a genius doctor and healed scar-less, I’m told(!) by God: peritonitis from a burst appendix; another brush with peritonitis when she had a gastric ulcer about to burst; massive ovarian cysts which resulted in a hysterectomy, followed by removal of the ovaries, fallopian tubes – in fact, the full reproductive system; thyroid problems (still being dealt with with when I have enough money to help her with hospital costs): and now, chronic kidney issues with excruciating kidney stones. She’s bleeding profusely with every urination, spends a lot of her day in tears with the pain of the stones, even more with the pain of urination. The doctor has told her it’s severely damaging her kidney. She needs surgery – BUT – the procedure to remove the stones is 2,500 euros, about 10 times what Ionela earns in a year. She’s talking to me about selling her good kidney to pay for it, they would remove it in the same surgical procedure, which of course will put up the price of the surgery! Rock and a hard place? I think so. I’ve talked her away from selling her organs and told her that I’ll find the money somehow, somewhere. I’m limping and staggering around my house looking for things I can sell online to raise the 2,500 euros as quickly as possible (just over £2200). To give you an idea, the hysterectomy was about 15,000 euros (£13,300). She is trying to get some money owed to her – it was stolen from the hospital when she had to unexpectedly stay overnight for a general anaesthetic – suing the hospital as it was a staff member who stole it (thank you CCTV!!) – but twice now, she’s been to court, and discovered that the hospital director, her lawyer, AND the judge, have been working in cahoots, and they are ripping her off, the court case keeps getting put forward. It should have all been done and dusted on February 22: then this morning: now it’s May 24. She will win, but she’s fighting the corrupt legal system. A couple of hours ago, she had no money and no food: fortunately, I had a little in my account and was able to send her 100 euros to buy some food, and pay her heating and water bills.

In the same period of time that she’s had this ‘medical encyclopaedia’ of illness, she’s really growing as a Christian: it’s so good to talk to her on WhatsApp, or Skype, and pray with her. It’s so good to see her writing about prayer, asking Jesus for this or that, the enemy is doing all in his power to destroy this fledgeling Christian. He isn’t going to win!!

I spoke to Ionela an hour ago, she was in tears with pain (she can’t afford pain medication strong enough to touch the pain of the kidney stones): she desperately needs this surgery, and I’m just not in any financial position to help her. Can you? If you can, on her behalf, I’d be so grateful: needless to say, she’d be over the moon to be able to get into the hospital this week to remove the pain. The problem with the medical system there is this: you have to pay UP-FRONT for any treatment, so she can’t have the surgery and then pay for it: she has to pay for it first.

If you can help, you can send to Stewardship if you’re a British tax-payer – www.stewardship.org.uk – my account with them is Paul Bennison Healing Ministries Worldwide, number 20028331. If you don’t pay tax, you can send it to my bank – let me know and I’ll send you the details (having had my bank account hacked a couple of months ago, I’ve no intention of putting the details here!). There is also PayPal – all you need for that is my email address, (paul@paulbennison.com). Whatever I get for her, I can send it through my bank to hers, using the amazing ‘faster payment’ service, which can mean it’s in her account in a few minutes.

If you can help, can you let me know, please? And it would be helpful if you could let me know how much! As it rises, so will Ionela’s spirit! I’ll be so grateful to you for her: she has no other family apart from a sister who’d ‘relieve’ Ionela of any money she had for surgery (nice, huh?) and an uncle who is just aggressive and unhelpful. I feel a bit like a dad to her right now!

Seven weeks ago I saw a consultant orthopaedic surgeon just for an update check up on the knees… I was walking ok – though with a limp and in pain – until that day. TThe knees didn’t stop me. What the doctor did defies belief, and I’ve not really been able to walk since, some days I can’t walk at all, as a result of his meddling with my right knee totally unnecessarily 🙁

The cracking of the bones is fascinating (!), but what’s not so good is that they feel like someone’s heated a knife up to white-hot, and then driven it into the joints.

Last Friday, I had the very ‘interesting’ steroid injections into my knees – in the hope they might ease the pain (normally their effect is 6 weeks to 2/3 months) – last week, the effect was less than 12 hours! I’m writing to the local NHS Trust to complain, and seek compensation, as I’ve hardly left my house in 7 weeks, and some days, even walking the 20 feet to my kitchen is impossible!

I’d really value your prayers for wisdom: I still believe it’s in God’s plan for their healing, but I’m wondering if that plan includes surgery…. it’s a 2-year waiting list, which is really no good to me, or alternatively, I could go to France where the wait is less, or Colombia, where they could be operated on next week, but it’d cost about US$10,000 and they’d have both done, and me walking normally in less than 3 months.

During the course of any month, I pray for hundreds of people. Perhaps because of what God has blessed me to do, I get hundreds of requests from people through social media, email, text messages etc., to pray for them. I’ve pasted below a ‘Ransomed Heart’ post from John Eldredge (the ‘Wild at Heart’ man), which pretty much sums up where I’d be at! I can’t promise to pray long-term for people – I’d not have time to do anything else! – Some of you may find this a bit ‘brutal’ but sometimes, I won’t offer to pray for people as I’m doing it so much as part of my ‘job’ (perhaps I should say ‘ministry’! but it IS my job) it would be like asking someone who works 10 hours a day at their ‘day’ job, to spend their evenings or days off doing their job unpaid for you…. not that I’ve ever charged, but you get what I mean. I will sometimes pray in a private message, or a text message, phone, or ‘on the spot’ with someone…. I hope that this doesn’t offend people who ask for prayer (many of them I don’t even know!), but perhaps John’s explanation will help….

Sure, I’ll Pray For You

I’ve come to the place where I have had to stop telling people, “I’ll pray for you.”

I simply know that despite my good intentions—and these promises are almost always spoken with good intent—I know that nine times out of ten I just don’t remember to follow through. Not until maybe a week or two later, and then I feel guilty that I forgot. I don’t like promising something I probably won’t live up to. You know how these stories go: someone you care about tells you of their pain, need, or struggle, and you respond with, “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that; I’ll pray for you.” But then, most of the time, we never do. If all the prayers that were promised were actually prayed, this would be a different world by now.

So instead of promising future prayer, what I try to do nowadays is stop, right there in the moment, and pray. Right then and there. It’s funny how many Christians this actually throws off guard. “You mean, right now?” “Yes—absolutely. Let’s pray.” In the restaurant, in the car, on the plane, wherever. If it’s a text or e-mail request, I’ll start praying as I type my response, typing out a prayer for them right then and there. Not only does it help me follow through, but it helps them to agree right along with what I have prayed, and agreement is mighty powerful as we know.

John Eldredge, Ransomed Heart daily blog

John Eldredge

It’s amazing, too, how many people think that because it’s ‘prayer’ it doesn’t cost time, emotion, energy, petrol, car running costs, car servicing, so it’s something that should be done for nothing, however many miles and hours it takes! Outside of meetings, everyone I pray for healing is prayed for in their own homes, or in the hometown in someone else’s home. Some people DO slip me a gift, for which I’m very, very grateful.

It’s not just praying for individuals, there’s often the same problem with churches and meetings. Some years ago, I was with a friend, a pastor on the south coast of England, who did a weekend of meetings in central Scotland, a round trip drive of over 1000 miles. It was a weekend of meetings, Friday evening, three Saturday, two Sunday: and as we left, the treasurer (I guess) gave him what many ministers refer to as the ‘dreaded brown envelope’, and in it was….. £0.37 pence! Ok, petrol was a little cheaper then, maybe £1.00 a gallon: the AA and Inland Revenue (then) designated the mileage costs at about 0.45 pence a mile, so the car ‘gift’ alone should have been around £500.

Those who know me know that when I began in ministry, God told me I was never to ‘charge’ – there are many who do, I know people who charge £3-500 for one meeting, one who charges high 4-figure fees for a day plus all expenses for bookings in the USA. I TRULY struggle with that, when Jesus made it so clear to his disciples, sent out to preach, in Matthew 10: ‘Tell the people the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons, raise the dead. FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE’. I’ve never been able to work out where charging hundreds of pounds or thousands of dollars comes into ‘FREE’.

As a minister, what is it we’re going to give away? If it’s not from God, it’s not worth giving. And it’s given to ministers FREE by a God who uses us. Of course, we need to live: the labourer is worthy of his hire, but as a someone being ‘hired’ I believe it’s in the hands of the ‘hirer’ to determine what that amount is. I’ve been to places where I’ve got nothing: others where I’ve been blessed. I know that God has told me, over the years I’ve been in ministry, that he’s called me to the poor, the needy = people who can’t even afford to give £1 equivalent, though often they do. They’ll give everything that is in the offering, it might amount to a pound or two.

I heard of a situation where some folk in Norway, I think, invited a ‘well-known’ American speaker (I do know who it was but it’d be wrong to say who!), who wanted $5000 A DAY, plus tens of thousands for the team, first class airfares for 5, business class for everyone else, plus the whole floor of a five star hotel for the team. Oh, yes, and the whole of the offering. The invitees agreed – on condition that the minister/team guaranteed that 1,000 minimum would be saved a day, and a similar number healed…. needless to say, the minister declined to go!

I’ve no way of knowing how many ministers ‘live by faith’ (a phrase I really don’t like – we ALL live by faith, whether it’s trusting God for our job, for our business and the lives of those who work for us, for social security if there are issues meaning we can’t work) – but for myself God told me I wasn’t to charge, and in 39 years I haven’t. I’d love to say that it’s been easy, and there’s never been a time of stress. I’d be lying if I said that! My regular support income is way below what the ministry has cost over those 39 years – when a vast amount of it is airfares, and I – and the people I take with me – pay rent when we’re away, food – all expenses….. a trip to Colombia for 3 weeks, for instance, costs at least £3000. My great friend Thanney, who by trade is a builder, with his own business and employees/contractors he’s responsible for, does exactly what I do – pays his own way on each trip (he’s done 4 in 13 months) and therefore he doesn’t earn a penny while he’s away. In fact, he’s worse off than me on a trip, as I at least get some regular support. That’s freely giving what he’s freely received.

If you’re a church leader, and invite preachers, please, can I ask you to prepare for the invited minister, and give a gift that bears some resemblance to what it would cost you to do the same distance/job/time – and build in expenses that effectively is a ‘salary’? Sadly, the best ‘givers’ are small, poor churches: the big churches seem to have much more problem giving. The story of the Widow’s mite and the Pharisee is so relevant to ministry, just as it is to us as individual Christians.

I will rarely – never, I think, up until now, not prayed for someone who’s asked. I doubt very much that I ever will. I want to see people healed and saved!! But like John Eldredge, I can’t promise to say to you that I’ll pray every day/week for you, as I’d have a list of tens of thousands by now!!

In the mid 1970’s, I was doing pretty well in my career in the NatWest bank, even though I really didn’t like the job. I DID like the salary, the ridiculously subsidised mortgage (2 1/2% in an era when normal mortgages were 14%+ -hard to believe today, huh?).

18th January 1979: another of my ‘birthdays!’ What birthday is this one? Well, I’d ‘celebrated’ 9+ years with one of the (then) ‘big four’ banks, and after fighting God for 5 years as he wanted me to leave, and I didn’t. God wanted me in full-time ministry, which I wanted, but was terrified of losing salary and perks….

BUT…

1 January 1979, I began in full-time ministry. God had said very clearly ‘trust me for your home, your security, and your income’. Sounds easy in the moment. A week/month/year later, it’s not quite so easy!

The NatWest paid salaries on the 18th of the month, so the 18th of this month was my last ever payday, last salary. So I’m 39 today! 39 years of proving that God is faithful at keeping his promises: he’s faithful at providing: he’s faithful in everything.

39 years living not knowing, many times, where the necessary money is coming from…. in those 39 years, he’s housed me and my (then) family, he’s taken me to 111 countries, including Romania 129 times, Colombia 89 times, USA 100+ times, Mexico 30+ times, Australia 20+ times…and so many others – all on nothing!!

Thank you, Lord, that every promise you’ve made is yes and amen through Christ Jesus (Col 1:20), and this unknown, unqualified, unskilled man has seen your provision for 39 years.I guess it makes it my ruby wedding to God’s promises next year? 🙂

Anniversary day, January 1st! Today is the 39th anniversary of moving from banking into full-time ministry – after arguing with God for 5 years previously about making that move! I hated my job, but after 5 years of salary, a subsidised mortgage (2.5% in an era when mortgage interest was 14%), cheap car loan, pension…

I’d become locked into a comfort zone of income and money. The prospect of no salary, a 15% mortgage – an additional 1% as it was a re-mortgage – didn’t appeal to me a great deal, much as wanted to be involved in ministry!

I thought it would be short-term, like a year or two, never dreaming that a lifetime later I’d still be doing it, and with no desire to be a banker anymore….

All I can say is that the risk is worth it. There have been times when it’s been really tough, but the blessing far, far outweighs the battles.
No salary for 39 years, and I’m not even borderline anorexic(!!), I have a home (rented, not owned), a car, and food when I need it….

And in those years, I’ve had the privilege of God taking me to 110 countries, many multiple times (Romania 129, USA well over 100, Colombia 89, and many African nations multiple times, India, Mexico 30….. I’m so blessed….

Jose Luis, Aida, and Jose Luis Jr., – one of the most special astonishing miracles I’ve EVER had the privilege of being involved in… 6 years ago today, in Cali, Colombia (Kids hospital Club Noel) when Junior was just a few months old, had the opportunity to pray something I’d never ever prayed for: he was born with NO fontanelles and NO sutures in his skull, which meant of course, that his cranium was solid, with no room or flexibility for his brain to grow. His future was more than bleak, to say the least – brain damaged, severely handicapped physically, more than likely dead very young. Dad had brought his skull x-rays to another brain surgeon – my long-time friend Doctora Dunia Patricia Quiroga, who told him to get the x-rays ‘prayed over by the Englishman in the waiting area’ of the kid’s hospital, and then to bring Junior to the hospital to be scanned by her…three hours later (maximum, I reckon), Dunia called me. Jose Luis Jr had all the necessary fontanelles and sutures in his skull for a perfectly normal life…. God is SO incredibly amazing, powerful, creative, merciful, kind….you name the adjective! Oh yes, and Mum and dad both gave their lives to Jesus …..